Village Theatre, a Seattle-area theatre dedicated to the development of new musicals, presents a developmental production of Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond's The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes as part of Village's 14th Annual Festival of New Musicals Aug. 8-17.

Here's how the work is billed: "Howard Barnes is a perfectly average man in his early thirties, until the day that he wakes up to discover that his life has become a musical. Desperate to escape from the show, Howard embarks on a fantastical quest through the realm of musical theatre. Equal parts satire, romantic comedy, and love letter to the American musical, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes is intended for people who love musical theater, and their spouses who hate it."

The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes has been developed through readings at the O'Neill National Music Theater Conference and the Human Race Theatre. Additionally, the writers have developed the show during residencies at The 5th Avenue Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals and The Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. Private developmental readings have been presented at the New York Theatre Workshop and Trinity Repertory Theatre. The show was recently named as one of eight new musicals to be presented at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival of New Musicals in NYC this fall.